Hey does anyone know where i can get a program to test how well a boat flows through the water? I am designing a racing sail boat and want to test the design before we start building it. but i don't want to spend big bucks getting a huge cad program.

 

Try..

http://boatdesign.net/directory/Soft...e_or_Low_Cost/

http://thcentral.com/CFDInfo/cfdsoft...cfd%20software

 

try going to the engineering department at your local college or university. i know that my school has a fluid dynamics program on some of the engineering computers but you need an ID to get in. maybe somebody is coming out the door and you slip in lol. also you can propose your boat as a senior design project for the senior to the professors and they may even do the work for you but it'd take a semester. it wouldn't cost you a penny, just some time

 

when you get done with your boat, let me know if a bulbous hull design will help me break the 9mph barrier with my houseboat.

 

yeah we are waiting till next week to get the school involved...I'm at Maine Maritime academy so we do have the technology. me and a friend have been making the designs for this boat that we want to school to sponsor us building (pay for it). but we wanted more intermediate results on how well it will flow. and achttung you want a planing hull.

 

...and a JET engine!

 

Yeah, but I'm not going to replace the entire hull...

Its a 40' boat with a 10' beam, and it only draws probably 20" of water. Its not a flat bottom, but its pretty damn close.

Its also a steel hull, which means as long as I can find a portable welder, I can modify the hull 'for experimentation'.

I push a lot of water. I feel like attaching a bulbous bow, or something along those lines could actually make a difference, without going for a full overhaul of the entire boat.

If you get some time on your fancy computer, it'd be cool to see what kind of results it would make. Or even just pointers, I can research it more myself.



Thats what I'm working with. 40' LOA, probably 38' LWL. 10' beam She weighs in at a light 15,000lbs.

 

yeah putting a bulb on might help...some what. but in all honesty making that thing go fast is like trying to make a brick do something fast...

 

and technically your boat is a planning hull so a bigger motor and your all set...im thinking like 500HP.

 

i dont need (or want)(im not that crazy) to go FAST, but it'd be cool to be able to make some time when the lake is smooth, more importantly, it'd be cool to get a little better fuel economy. She's powered by a 250cu.in. straight 6 now, making 165hp. Got a friend pulling a Chrysler 400 out of his boat, that would put me closer to 500 ponies, but it uses something like 14 liters/hr at 1500 RPM. OUCH. I put about $400 in gas in my boat this summer, and i was all over the lake, over to Plattsburg a couple times even. He stuck to the inner bay mostly, and burned about $1500 in gas. You should come hang out sometime next summer, should have thought to invite you out months ago, forgot you were a local guy...